Apr 24, 2009

Bromst-Dan Deacon

It comes in many colours. Dazzling red, luminous blue, deep green, bitter black. It pierces. It dazzles. It swirls and sways. It hits you in the face, soothes your soul. It will make you laugh, it just might make you cry. It will certainly entertain you. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you "Bromst", the ultimate candidate for THE most entertaining album of 2009. Damn it. It might just prove to be one of the best records you will hear this calendar year anyways.

So, is it possible to be wordy about a piece of music that is so visceral, so linked to movement and moving. Well, probably not. So this might be brief. This is Dan Deacon's finest moment to date. If "Spiderman of the Rings" was fun and engaging, but perhaps a tad lightweight, then "Bromst" is fun and even more engaging, but the music sounds important. Is important. It makes you dance, wildly, but with a certain gravitas attached. Here, in this time, the moments of fun are equally counterbalanced by the moments of tightly held beauty. So, it starts with something purely magnificent. "Build Voice" is simply superb, a song that climbs slowly through the stratosphere, shifting and changing as it goes. It begins so quietly that you barely know it's there. But by the end of the song it will inhabit your very existence. Songs like "Red F" and "Paddling Ghost" are ecstatic and joyous, memorable for the vibe that they create. Yes, this is electronic music, but it feels organic. There is a heart and soul beating in every song. These songs are complex and multi, multi layered. No simple beats here for the party crowd. But then there is also an accessible element to each song as well. These are songs for the community, they are not cold and austere. They are warm and vibrant and alive. Perhaps the centrepiece is the one two punch of "Snookered and Of The Mountains". These songs are delicate and full of nuance. There is tenderness and softness on display. They reach deep inside your heart, settling there for good. There isn't a dud song here at all. "Surprise Stefani" is eerily ominous, "Woof Woof" is jumping for joy, whilst "Get Older" closes things perfectly. This is an album for everyone to enjoy. It is everything and everyman. It is silly and vulnerable. It is childlike and moving. It is impossible to resist and designed to enjoy. Dan Deacon, we hug you.